Crashed
by Watson-A-Name92
Summary: Title change. New Beginning AU. Tess Carnahan didn't expect to reunite with old friends when she's dragged into the adventure of a lifetime. New feelings and an ability to sense danger surface in her and complicate the already crazy situation. HendersonOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know what you people are thinking- why post this when the other one isn't done. Well, a lot of people have requested a Tess/Henderson romance as opposed to Ardeth, and to be honest, I ship them more than her and Ardeth lately, so… this was born. This is more of a test chapter to see how it's received more than anything, so even if you never review after this, feedback for this chapter is requested.**

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><p><em>"Hey Kat, I think I found somethin'!" Brian McCallum called for his twin sister. The siblings had just turned eighteen. Unlike most of their friends in school, the pair of them had a love for history. Their father, Mark, claimed it ran in the family. That love was what had landed the pair of them rooting around in the attic of their grandparents' vacation house in Texas. Mark had wanted to check for an old journal his grandfather had written to show the students in the college class he taught. Mark was ecstatic when the twins had volunteered to help out. Now, here Brian was, in front of a large wooden chest.<em>

_Katherine McCallum walked up behind him and bent down. "What?"_

_Brian shrugged, then took hold of one of the sides of the chest's lid. "Help me with this."_

_Kat nodded and helped him push it back. Once it was open fully, the two knelt down, taking in the contents._

_There were various letters, books, photos and other odds and ends that lined the sides, and filled a good portion of the chest._

_Brian chuckled. "That's one Hell of a time capsule…" He mused. He turned around. "Hey, Dad!" He called. He turned his attention back to the chest and pulled out two of the pictures. "Hey, that guy looks like Dad… and… I have no idea who those two might be…" He passed over the photo to Kat, who shrugged._

_The pair of them turned to Mark when he came into the attic. "Hey, we came across this. Maybe that journal is in here. Any idea who these people are?"_

_Mark looked at the photos, then laughed. "Yes, of course I do." He laughed. "The young men and woman on the left, there, that's your Grandma Beth, and Granduncles Jack and Sam, and the woman and man on the right is your great grandfather on my dad's side, Marcus, and your great grandmother on my mom's side, Tess." Mark replied._

_His children turned and arched an eyebrow at him._

_Mark shrugged. "I know it seems… complicated. It's not, once you really think about it. Where did you find this?" He squeezed in between them and rifled through the books. He found one, opened to the first page, and grinned. "Here we are. Marcus' journal…" He put it down, then picked up a notebook and frowned at it, more so when a couple of letters fell out from between the next two pages. "What's this…?" He put one back, then opened the other one carefully. He scooted over so both of his children could get closer, and all three began to read the letter silently._

**_To Whom It May Concern-_**

**_Let me start off this little journey in time in a box by saying it was all my husband and Marcus' fault. They wanted to do this. I was never one for quaint things. However, like my brother-in-law Rick said, knowing all three of our families, it may be wise, putting all of these things together about our adventures in case one of our descendants screw up. Let me just say to start off with, if the person reading this is considering going on a treasure hunt of any kind, JUST DON'T DO IT. Those ghost and mummy stories- surprise, they're real. The proof is all here, along with a few things, just for the family in general._**

**_You might have heard my sister's account of our adventures. If you haven't, they're in here, too. I figured it's only fair to give you my side of the story as well. Enjoy._**

**_Tess Henderson, 1953._**

**_P.S: I wasn't kidding about that treasure hunting. Stop. Now. Look through all of this and learn from our mistakes._**

_The father and children looked at each other, shrugged, and glanced back at the notebook. They opened to the first page, their curiosity getting the better of them._

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><p><strong>1905, North Carolina:<strong>

_"But Dad! I don't wanna go!" Ten-year-old Tess Carnahan yelled at her father, who was leading her to the entrance of the grounds to the school he had recently enrolled her in._

_Her father, Richard, laughed. "I know, darling, but be lucky you're going anyway. This is a privilege compared to some of the things that kids your age are doing. Besides, you'll meet friends here!"_

_"How is it going to last, dad? You're only here for business!" Tess whined._

_"Be hopeful, kid. I'll see you later." with that, her father walked away._

_Tess sighed and went into the school. She knew it was a losing battle- the paperwork and assigned class had already been taken care of. She was headed into Mrs. Wilson's classroom. Handling being the new kid in school was nothing new to her. It had happened far too many times for her liking. She was okay with most of the things attached to it- just not the awkward, 'who are you?' stares she always received. She crossed to one of the empty seats in the back of the room and stared down at the surface of the desk. If she didn't look around, she could avoid them._

_"Ah, new kid, huh? Tough break."_

_Tess frowned and turned, seeing a blonde boy her age. He was looking at her, offering a crooked smile. He had his feet up on his desk, and had an almost-completely eaten apple in his hand closest to the window._

_"Who are you?" Tess asked, not knowing why she struck up a conversation with someone she didn't even want to know. He came across as arrogant right off the bat- Tess hated arrogant people._

_"Chase Henderson." he tossed the apple core aside into the trash and offered his hand. "Future cowboy. You?"_

_Tess smiled at the way he presented himself with 'future cowboy'. "Tess Carnhan. Future I-Have-No clue" she shook his hand._

_Chase smiled again. "So, this really is your first day, huh?"_

_"Yeah" Tess nodded._

_"I remember my first day here. I hated it." the blonde's southern accent came through in the statement. "I might as well try to make yours halfway decent."_

_Tess smiled softly. Maybe he wasn't so bad, after all. This was a first- making a friend on the first day. She liked the idea of that. She had no idea that that day, she hadn't met a boy who would be a friend for a couple of years- she had met the first of her lifelong friends._

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><p><strong>French Foreign Legion Camp, 1919:<strong>

_Tess flinched, watching another injured soldier get dragged into the tent. She was tending to a young man who had a bullet graze his shoulder the previous day. She silently muttered to herself, wondering why she had followed her father, once again, and taken the nursing job a family friend had offered. She was never a fan of the sight of blood, but at the same tiome, she felt like she had a sense of duty to the soldiers. That was one of the many things she had inherited from her father, who had taken to being one of the general's assistants. She muttered 'why did I even come here?' one last time and turned to leave for another tent when two men dragging a groaning third man behind them, came bursting through the tent entrance._

_"Nurse Carnahan, help this man! He's been shot. We got the bullet out, but he needs to be patched up." One of the soldiers ordered, all but shoving the man into her arms._

_She groaned and pulled the man over to one of the empty beds and maneuvered him onto it. She left to get bandages, and came back. She finally got a good look at him. She'd admit it, he was a decent looking man. Reddish, light brown hair, well built, tall, he would've been several of her friends' types. She sighed and went over to him, getting ready to patch him up, as instructed._

_The man opened his eyes wearily and blinked at her. "Take it easy, will ya, Sweet Cheeks?"_

_Tess arched an eyebrow at him, then shrugged it off. "I always do, Private…?"_

_"Don't call me Private. I'm Rick- Rick O'Connell."_

_Tess smiled weakly. "Alright, Rick. My name's Tess Carnahan. I'll take good care of you, I swear."_

_Rick scrunched up his nose, looking tired as Hell. "I'm gonna hold you to that, and I'm gonna pass out as you do it."_

_Tess frowned. "I uh, wouldn't suggest that, Rick."_

_"Oh, relax, the bullet's out, it was a graze, and I haven't slept in days. I'll be fine. Promise." Rick replied._

_Tess went to object, but a moment later, Rick was out cold. It didn't look like he had passed out from pain or anything, so she took that as a win so far. "… I hope so, Rick." She muttered before going to work on getting the bandages on his abdomen._

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><p><strong>1923, Outside Cairo:<strong>

_Tess gaped at the amount of injured soldiers in the tent she had been assigned to. The attack on Hamunaptra had gone horribly wrong, apparently, for various reasons. Her heart sunk. The number of bodies inside had almost doubled since last night. Where was Rick, where was Beni? The pair of them had gotten hurt enough to have been in her care plenty of times. She had no issue calling them friends. She was terrified at the fact she knew they were on that mission, but hadn't shown, at all. "Where are you…?" Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted a familiar face being helped towards the tent. "RICK!" She ran out of the tent and hugged her friend._

_"Hey, Tessie," Rick practically croaked._

_Tess frowned. "What's wrong, are you hurt?"_

_"No, just… dehy…rated." Rick replied._

_Tess looked at the man who was supporting him. "Bring him into the tent. I'll get water."_

_The soldier nodded and went inside with Rick as Tess headed to do her self- assigned task. She went back inside, got to Rick, and barely gave Rick a moment to react to the fact she had reached him before she tilted the cup of water into his bottom lip so he was forced to start drinking. Rick took it from her and nodded after a moment. He exhaled sharply and leaned back into the pillows. "Damn…" He breathed._

_"What happened?" Tess asked._

_Rick shook his head. "A bad, bad battle for us, then after… well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just make sure you keep Beni the Hell away from me."_

_Tess frowned. That had come out of nowhere. Sure, she wasn't too fond of Beni, being that most of his greeting hugs ended up with his hands on her behind, but she ignored her dislike because he and Rick were close. "Um…"_

_"He left me to die, Tessie. I was in a pinch, and he turned, ran, and when I had the chance to get shelter from being shot or stabbed, he locked me out." Rick replied, taking another drink._

_Tess frowned. "What?"_

_Rick nodded._

_Tess scoffed. "… Bastard!"_

_Rick snorted, then put the cup in his lap and smirked at her. "That so?" He asked._

_Tess looked at him, and the smirk that was now on his face made her remember Chase. How long had it been since they touched base? Years. Part of her relief dissipated at that, but when she saw Rick was looking at her like he knew she was suddenly miles away, she snapped out of it. He was her friend too, he was here in the now, and he had apparently almost died. That was enough to be happy about. "I'll be sure to do that, and I'm glad you're okay, Rick." She replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other people to tend to."_

_Rick winked at her, then watched as she started to weave her way between the beds to check on others. "Enjoy yourself, Sweet Cheeks!"_

_"Thought I told you not to call me that!" Tess called over her shoulder._

_"It's fun to annoy you!" Rick called back. When she merely waved him off, Rick just laughed, took another drink and leaned back again. All in all, despite the weird, howling face and almost dying, it was a pretty damn good day._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Title change already, uh oh, haha. Anyways, a lot of this is just from the movie, but hey, it gets us somewhere, so... enjoy. Don't forget to review, even if it's criticism. **

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><p>1926, Cairo:<p>

Tess looked at the glass display in front of her, focusing on the necklace that was the centerpiece. She had been volunteering at the museum that her sister Evy had worked in ever since she had reunited with her sister, along with brother Jonathan mere months ago. After years and years of not seeing each other in person and depending only on letters and photographs, it had been quite the teary occasion. She straightened out the stand the necklace was on. She didn't know why, but she hated every single piece of history around it but that necklace. She felt drawn to it. Hell, she might have even taken it for herself, being that people rarely visited the section of the library it was in. However, she knew if she even asked, the curator would probably throw a fit. He threw enough fits at Evy. She had enough trouble trying not to throttle him then. She knew she would probably slap the man, in the least, if he yelled at her the way he yelled at her sister. She moved on to dust the rest of the case and hummed a tune that Chase would've liked, back when they were kids. That abruptly stopped when she heard Evy screaming from a couple of rooms down. She dropped the rag and ran towards the scream. "EVY?" She skidded to a halt when she saw her sister standing in the middle of the Sarcophagus Room with her hands over her mouth. "What happened?"

Evy turned to her sharply and put her hands on her sister's elbows. "Our brother is being his drunk self, that is what's happening!" She replied, looking to the right.

Tess followed her gaze and frowned, seeing Jonathan- inside one of the laying sarcophaguses, no less, laughing away. He had probably gone in, only to pop up and scare Evy. That's what he had done to Tess the previous week. "You brute!" She complained.

Jonathan's laughter faded. "Well, at least she didn't come close to breaking my nose like you did." He replied.

"I was right next to the sarcophagus when you jumped out. What else was I supposed to do, Idiot?" Tess shot back.

Jonathan motioned at Evy, but in his tipsy state, he ended up pointing between his sisters. "What she did- scream her lungs out and call me names."

"I did call you names," Tess replied.

Jonthan shrugged. "True. Very unlady like."

"I was the only one who went with Dad, and I grew up with a lot of boys. How else did you expect me to turn out? Come on, get out." She went over to help him.

Jonathan got out of the sarcophagus, using her as a support. "Just as you did, Luv." He planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

Tess pulled away, but smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Now, what brings you here?"

"Yes, what brings you here?" Evy demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jonathan and Tess looked at each other and shrugged. While they had a knack- and love, for trouble and practical jokes, Evy hadn't picked it up at all. That must've come with the territory of being the youngest of the three. Jonathan reached into his jacket pocket. "I found something for you, Evy." He reported, still rooting around.

Tess rolled her eyes and took hold of his jacket to steady it.

Jonathan nodded at her. "Thank you…." His tongue poked out of the side of his mouth as he renewed his search. He pulled a small box-like object out and grinned. "There we are."

Evy frowned and took it from him. "Jonathan, where did you get this…?"

Jonathan shrugged. "A dig down in Thebes…" He replied. He started leaning to the side. Noticing that it was more from the alcohol than anything, Tess, grabbed his arm to steady him. "Thank you," He repeated.

Evy paid no mind to them, focused only on the hexagonal box.

Jonathan looked at Tess hopefully, and she shrugged. Jonathan looked back at Evy. "Evy, my whole life, I've never found anything. Tell me I've found something."

Evy continued to play with the box silently, then, without warning, the box opened on its own and a small, folded piece of what looked like papyrus popped up from the release of pressure.

Tess and Jonathan leaned forward curiously, trying to see what it was.

"Jonathan…?" Evy looked at her brother. "I think you've found something."

CRASHED CRASHED CRASHED CRASHED

The siblings all stared down the curator, Terrence, as he examined the box, as well as what had turned out to be a map that was inside of it. Evy looked estatic, but Jonathan and Tess looked uneasy. They felt completely lost at what exactly Jonathan had found.

Evelyn pointed at something over Terrence's shoulder. "See the cartouche there, it's the official royal seal of Seti the First, I'm sure of it." She pointed out.

Terrence sighed. "Perhaps,"

Jonathan leaned over. "Two questions. Who the hell was Seti the First, and was he _rich_?"

Tess rolled her eyes and laughed. "You and money, Jon."

Evy waved her response off dismissively. "He was the last Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom, said to be the wealthiest Pharaoh of them all."

Jonathan rubbed his hands together and started to pace. "Alright, good, that's good. I like this fellow, like him very much."

Terrence looked back at the map to study it more.

Evy put her hands behind her back and smiled proudly. "I've already dated it, this map is almost four thousand years old, and the hieratics over here..." She inhaled sharply. "It's Hamunaptra."

Now that caught Tess' attention. "Hamunaptra?"

Terrence looked up at her. "You've heard of Hamunaptra?"

Tess shrugged, mistaking his surprise for simple curiousity. "Back when I worked as a nurse, I was stationed where some of us had to receive injured men who came in from there." She replied.

Terrence frowned, then clenched his jaw and looked back at the map. "The point remains that we are scholars, not treasure hunters. Hamunaptra is a myth, no matter what people say. Those men might've thought they were in Hamunaptra, but it is based on wives' tales. How could they tell? There is nothing but desert for miles around there."

Tess frowned, then sighed and settled back into one of the chairs.

Evy wasn't so easily convinced. "All we know is that the city mysteriously vanished around 2,134 B.C.. It could've existed, all the same!"

Terrence frowned at her, moving the map closer to the candle on his desk subtly. A moment later, the map caught on fire. "Oh my goodness!" He tossed it to the floor.

Evy and Jonathan dove for the map, putting out the flame as fast as possible. They brought it back up, examining the damage. Jonathan stood up. "You burned it! You burned off the part with the lost city!

Terrence offered an unsympathetic look. "It's for the best, I'm sure. Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra, no one has ever found it, most have never returned."

Evelyn scoffed, insulted, grabbed the key, and stormed off. Jonathan followed after, and Tess glared at Terrence. "Nice. Thanks a lot." She snapped before following them.

They made it outside of the office into the lobby and turned to each other. "Well, now what?" Tess asked.

Evy frowned. "What's there to do? You heard him."

Tess frowned. "I'm not gonna let an old coot get my sister down. If you wanna find this place, let's try to find it."

"How?" Evy asked.

Jonathan frowned in consideration, then snapped his fingers. "Got it."

His sisters looked at him. "What?"

Jonathan looked between them as if knowing his story would backfire. "Well, there was this chap at the bar a while back, and he was actually talking about Hamunaptra, now that I remember. More like drinking away his troubles from there."

"And… you think he can help us? You know where he is?"

Jonathan hesitated. "I… might know."

The girls arched an eyebrow at him, ready for any kind of an answer.

CRASHED CRASHED CRASHED

Evy and Tess moved closer to each other as they walked further towards the cells in Cairo Prison. They expected Jonathan to take them to a bar, or a swanky hotel, or some other place with unscrupulous characters. They just didn't expect… that unscrupulous. "Jon, I'm going to kill you slowly." Tess threatened.

"Not the threat to make here, my dear sister." Jonathan quipped.

The three waited in the entryway into the visitor's yard for their 'guide'- the prison warden. He ended up being a short, chubby, hairy man. He spotted the siblings and tossed his hands out. "Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home!" He called.

Evy elbowed Tess in the back to stop her from providing commentary. Once she was satisfied Tess wouldn't say anything, Evy turned to Jonathan. "And you- you lied to us! You said you found it on a dig from Thebes- not that you picked it off this man!"

Jonathan shrugged. "I lie to everybody, what makes you two so special? Isn't lying to family a man's job?"

"You stole it from a man at the local Casbah who's now in prison!" Evy hissed as the warden motioned for them to follow. Evy hurried to catch up with the man. "Excuse me, what is this man in prison for?"

The Warden glanced at her. "I did not know, so when I heard you were coming, I asked him that myself."

"And what did he say?" Evy asked.

The Warden shrugged, then motioned at one of the cells, waiting for them to step over to it. "He said... he was just looking for a good time."

"Fantastic…" Tess muttered.

A moment later, the door to the cell burst open, and a well-built man with long, light, knotted hair was thrown into the cell, just as the Warden walked off.

Evy made a disgusted sound and backed up a step.

The prisoner grunted, and reached up to push his hair out of his face to properly see his visitors. He frowned at Jonathan and Evy, but when he spotted Tess, his face dropped. "…Tess?"

Tess gawked and opened her mouth slightly as Evy and Jonathan looked at her, puzzled.

The man sighed and pulled his hair back again.

Now it hit Tess. Her jaw dropped the rest of the way and she went wide eyed. "Rick? Rick O'Connell?"

Evy frowned. "Tess, you know him?"

"He's one of those soldiers I mentioned." Tess blurted. "Rick, what're you doing here?"

Rick waved his hand dismissively. "Long story. The Hell are you doing here?"

Tess stared, then laughed nervously. "Well, uh, we need your help with something, and who are these two?"

Tess sighed. "I'll let Evy here explain that, and this is my sister and brother, Evy and Jon. Make a long story short, Rick. Why are you-"

Evy pushed her out of the way lightly. "Excuse me, Mister… O'Connell, is it? We've, um, we've found... your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." She replied.

Rick leaned back. "No."

Evy arched an eyebrow. "No…?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "No... You came to ask me about Hamunaptra, ain't that right, Tessie?" He asked.

Tess shrugged. "I'm a tad lost myself, Ricky."

"Don't call me that." Rick shot back.

"You called me Sweet Cheeks, I call you Ricky." Tess replied.

"Erm, Mister O'Connell, how do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?"

"Because that's where I found it. I was there." Rick replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What, you came here and didn't get the lowdown from your sister?" Rick glanced at Tess.

"I was never there per se, remember? I was outside, then I had to help save your dehydrated ass."

"Tess!" Evy gasped.

Rick shrugged. "Hey, she's cursed at me before. I deserved it every time. She's entitled."

"But-" Evy began.

Jonathan cut her off as walked as close to the bars as he could. "Look, Old Chap. How do we know this isn't a load of pig swallow?" He asked.

Rick frowned, taking in Jonathan's appearance, now that he had a better look at him. "Hey, do I know you…?"

Jonathan laughed. "What? No, I just have one of those faces…"

A moment later, Rick's eyes widened and he punched Jonathan hard in the face, sending the other man sprawling back, and down. The action earned Rick a club to the back by one of the guards. Rick hissed, but showed no other pain.

Tess gaped, watching her brother hit the ground. "Jon!" She turned back to Rick. "Rick!"

Rick made a face. "What, you didn't expect me to let the guy who pickpocketed me a while back to get off easy, did you?"

"You could've been nice to my brother, you idiot!" Tess replied. "It's the least you could do-"

"No, I could be nice to you, because you saved my life at least six times, even if I asked for you for four of those times. Point is, if the guy did something against me the first time we met, I get even, then friendly."

"So I heard, but still!" Tess replied, helping Jonathan up.

"Can we focus, please?" Evy demanded.

Tess looked at her, then motioned at Jonathan.

Evy shrugged. "He's right. It's nothing he didn't deserve." She turned to Rick, who had chuckled at her comment. "But you were actually at Hamunaptra?"

Rick grinned more and nodded. "Yeah, I was there."

Evy narrowed her eyes. "You swear?"

Rick nodded again. "Every damn day."

Evy shook her head. "No, I mean –"

Both Rick and Tess laughed at her not catching his meaning, then Rick leaned back. "I know what you mean. I was there, alright. Seti's place. The City of the Dead." He waved his hands.

Evy leaned forward. "What did you find? What did you see?"

"Lady, when I was there, all I found was sand and blood." Rick replied.

Evy looked around, then took off her hat and put it to the side so her and Rick's faces were blocked from the Warden, who was returning. "Could you tell me how to get there? The exact location?"

Rick arched an eyebrow. "Want to know?"

Evy leaned in closer. "Yes,"

Rick frowned, more curious than anything. "Really want to know?"

Evy nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Tess frowned when Rick beckoned her closer with his pointer finger. She trusted Rick and loved him like a brother after so many short encounters, but she knew he was a troublemaker, so she was skeptical about what was coming. Sure enough, she just gawked as Rick suddenly grabbed Evy's chin, pulled her close, and kissed her. "What…?"

"Then get me the Hell outta there!" Rick blurted to Evy, right before the guards started beating him again, starting to drag him back into the hallway. Rick fought, but let them start to lead them. "Good seein' ya again, Tess!" He called.

Tess still gawked at him, but managed to gather herself enough to say "Yeah, you… too?" before the door slammed behind Rick and the guards.

Evy turned to the Warden abruptly. "Where are they taking him?"

The Warden shrugged. "To be hanged,"

It was Tess' turn to turn to him. "What? NO!"

The Warden looked at her, then shrugged. "Apparently, he had a _very_ good time."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Another update for this one… For those of you who might be curious, A New Beginning update should be up in the next week.**

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><p>Tess stared down at the gallows as one of the executioners started to adjust the noose around Rick's neck. Her grip tightened on the edge of the deck's bannister. This wasn't happening. What had Rick done to deserve this? She felt sick. Sure, this was a noose and not a bullet, but she felt guilty that she couldn't help save him directly, as opposed to bargaining, like Evy was with the Warden, a couple of feet behind her. She caught one of the guards eyeing her like a piece of meat and turned away from him, and back to Rick. "Come on…" Her breath caught in her throat when the man tightened the noose around his neck and Rick jerked in response. "We're trying, Rick. We're trying. Play with the guy again. You did it before…"<p>

"Three hundred pounds!" Evy continued to try and bargain with the Warden.

The offer didn't fly with the man. Tess swallowed hard when she saw the executioner go for the lever that would drop the trapdoor.

"Five hundred pounds!" Evy yelled, desperate to be heard over the prisoner's voices that had risen at that moment.

Tess looked around at the gallows and around the area, looking or anything that could possibly help them out in the next couple of minutes, by some miracle.

"And what else? I'm a very lonely man…"

Tess turned sharply at the Warden's words. "What?" She just gawked when she saw his hand on Evy's thigh. Evy hit his hand with the book she was holding to make him let go, and he recoiled quickly- only to give the executioner the order to drop the door.

Tess squeezed her eyes shutand turned her head further towards the middle of the room. She didn't want to see him die, at all. Evy, on the other hand, shot upright and screamed 'no.' More guilt started to rise in her, until-

"Ah! His neck did not break! I'm sorry, now we must watch him strangle to death!"

That got Tess' attention. She risked glancing back at where Rick was, and sure enough, he was dangling from the rope, swinging back and forth, but grunting and breathing heavy. She went over to the railing again. "Come on, Rick. You're gonna be okay. You've had worse, come on…"

"He knows the location to Hamunaptra!" Evy blurted from behind her.

"You lie!" The Warden snapped after a moment.

"I would never!" Evy gasped.

"She's right, she wouldn't." Tess put in, not taking her eyes off of Rick, silently praying that the rope would break from his weight, or any other situation that would make him safe. Evy continued to bargain behind her, but Tess couldn't even register what was being said. Blood was pounding in her ears, and all she could focus on was that Rick looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "Come on, come on, come on. No, no, no. You're too strong to die like this." She leaned back, and a moment later, the Warden shouted something, and the executioner cut him down. Tess couldn't help jumping up and down and clapping a couple of times. "YES!" She didn't give the Warden and Evy to continue with details on whatever arrangement they had- at that moment, at least. She grabbed Evy's hand and dragged her out of the room and down the stairs, to where Jonathan was waiting for them. Their brother had refused to join them for the fear of seeing someone being hung. Neither of the women could blame him, but now, it didn't matter. "He's okay! Evy made a deal, he's-"

"He's coming with us." Evy finished, beaming herself.

After a few minutes, the executioner and Warden both came out of the pen, with Rick in between them, unbound. The American looked apprehensive, but he managed to nod a greeting and weak smile when he spotted the Carnahans. He laughed when Tess couldn't take it anymore, let out a squeak, and threw her arms around his neck, muttering about how much she missed him. He picked her up a couple of inches off the ground so the height difference wouldn't cause him any more discomfort than what he had just been through. Sure, it still hurt like Hell, but she was a friend- it was a hurt he was willing to deal with "Missed you too, Tessie. Like I said, it's good to see ya." He put her down, then looked at Evy. "Thanks for that- saving my neck- literally." He added after a moment.

"You're very welcome. Now help us find Hamunaptra, don't try any funny business, accept your payment after we get back home, and it should be fine." Evy replied, before turning on her heel and walking away.

Rick merely blinked at her retreating form, then looked at Jonathan and Tess. The pair of them shrugged. "She does that." They replied.

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Okay then." He shifted from heel to toe. "Well, if you guys wanna wait here for a bit, I need to straighten everything out , get my stuff back, and I'll be all yours by noon."

The pair shrugged, then watched the Warden and guard lead him back towards another staircase.

* * *

><p>" Do you really think he'll show up?"<p>

Tess rolled her eyes and groaned at the question Evy had asked at least five times in the last hour. She knew Evy was a worrier- as much of a worrier as she was, but it was still getting annoying fast. Being that it was her friend's trustworthiness that was on the line made it all the worse.

Jonathan's opinion didn't seem far from hers. "Undoubtedly, I know the breed, he may be a cowboy, but his word is his word."

Tess nodded. "I doubt his punctuality has changed in prison. I trust him, you should too."

"Well, I didn't know him those years ago, and prison does change people as much as it can." Evy replied sharply. "I don't like this, at all."

"It was your idea…" Jonathan pointed out.

"It was, but I can still dislike it." Evy defended. "Personally, I think he's filthy, rude and a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit."

"Anyone I know?"

The three turned, and Jonathan and Evy gawked, finally seeing what Rick looked like clean-shaven, with a button-down shirt and tan pants to boot. Rick tossed one arm around Tess and pulled her against his side, still waiting for an answer from Evelyn. He ruffled her hair briefly for good measure, then smiled at the other two again.

Evelyn managed to stop gawking, and dropped her starry-eyed look. "Oh... um... hello."

Jonathan tried not to laugh at his stunned sister, then reached out and grabbed Rick's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?"

Rick let out a weak laugh. "Yeah, sure, smashing." He let go of Tess in order to check for his wallet in his jacket pocket. He found it, pulled it out slightly, then nodded in satisfaction.

Jonathan shook his head. "Oh, I never steal from a partner… Partner." He grinned and punched Rick's arm playfully.

Rick laughed, then hesitated. "That reminds me, no hard feelings about the, uh…" He did a mock punch.

Jonathan waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, no, happens all the time." He nodded.

Evy stepped forward in order to cut in. "Mister O'Connell, can you look me in the eye, and guarantee me this is not some sort of flimflam? Becauseif it is, I'm warning you –"

Rick looked hurt at that. He raised his eyebrows and closed the distance between them. " Lady, all I can tell you is my whole damn garrison believed in it so much, that without, we marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. Like I said, all we found was sand and blood." He replied, then looked down at the suitcases on the ground. "Let me take your bags." He bent down, took them, and headed up the gangplank.

The three watched him go. Jonathan and Tess both noticed Evy still had a dreamy look on her face. The pair looked at each other, and Tess gave him a 'go on' motion. Jonathan grinned mischievously and walked behind Evy. "Yes, yes, you're right, filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel, nothing to like there at all."

Evy turned and shot him a playfully venomous look.

Jonathan waggled his eyebrows and smirked.

A moment later, the three of them were pushed to the side from someone coming through the crowd. None of them were happy when they saw it was the Warden. The man grinned at them. "A bright, good morning to all!"

Evy groaned. "Oh no, what're you doing here?"

"Protecting my investment." The Warden replied simply, before pushing past them again to go up the gangplank himself.

The siblings exchanged looks, then shrugged and made their way onto the ship as well. They spent the first couple of hours settling into their cabins, then went to do their own thing. While Evy went to explore the ship, Jonathan and headed to the bar to wind down and talk about what they figured they had gotten themselves into by joining the trip.

"It's an adventure, Jon. We can get out for a while. Your trouble-causing landed us here. Enjoy it for what it is."

Jonathan made a face. "Did you not hear the man say they found sand and blood _twice_?" Jonathan asked.

"Rick's… dramatic." Tess replied. "As far as I'm concerned, he's another brother to me, but he can go overboard sometimes. I have a feeling he was just… really desperate to get out of there, so he said that to Evy- not that I blame him or anything." She glanced over when three men entered the room- one blonde, and two brunettes. She looked back at Jonathan. "Let's just see what happens, huh?"

Jonathan frowned at her. "… If I die, you're the second one to blame, then."

Tess smiled, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll look after you, don't worry. You're in good company. You'll be fine." She covered his hand with hers. "You got that?"

Jonathan smiled, then sighed. "You're horrible at trying to calm people down, did you know that?"

"I've heard that plenty, Jon." She replied. "I'll go get drinks again. Scotch?"

"Scotch," Jonathan confirmed.

Tess made it back to the bar, weaving between people, both sober and tipsy, who were asking partners to dance. She made it to the bar and slid into one of the seats, just as the blonde man she had noticed before sat beside her. She waited for the man to order a bourbon- American, she noticed. What was the draw of Americans boating around Egypt? She wondered, then offered the bartender a smile. "Two scotches, please, on the Carhahan tab." She didn't notice the blonde man straighten up and look at her.

The Bartender looked at them. "Two Americans, hm? What brings you two here? Are you two on a trip together?"

The blonde, who had been chuckling almost nonstop for a minute, and Tess looked at each other. Tess glanced at the Bartender. "Us? No, I'm here with my family. I'm not really American. I just got the accent because I grew up there for a few years. Now I live in Cairo, by my brother and sister."

The blonde's laughter faded, then he sighed. "American through and through, for me. As much as I'd like to be with this pretty lady, I have my own people on the trip."

The bartender offered an understanding smile, excused himself, and headed over to another customer.

Tess looked at the blonde. "You always flirt with people you've barely met on a boat?" She asked. He raised an indignant eyebrow, but when she cracked a smile, he smiled as well.

"Not usually, no." He shrugged, then finished his shot of bourbon in one go.

Tess leaned forward. "Then I assure you, I'm not the kind of woman who would accept that company on a boat." She replied. "You want a quick drink, fine, but that's as far as I draw the line."

The blonde grinned, then turned around so he was leaning on the bar, with his elbows supporting his weight. "I never figured you'd be, Tessie Girl."

Tess froze and turned to him. He looked back at her, smirked and arched an eyebrow. "… How do you know…?"

The blonde scoffed. "Aw, Tess, that hurts. You'd think you'd at least imagine what the kid who taught you to climb trees, skip stones and shoot a slingshot."

Tess stared at him for a while. No, it couldn't be… He smirked again, and that was the giveaway. The smirk, the messy-but-somehow-neat-at-the-same-time hair, those three things he had mentioned. "… Chase?"

The smirk became a smile again, and he stood up and tossed his hands out briefly. "Hey, Tessie. Small world, in'nit?"

"CHASE!" Tess repeated. Unlike with Rick, Tess didn't bother trying to control herself as much as she could. She launched herself at him and jumped into his arms, locking her legs around his hips.

Chase laughed, but returned the hug. "How long's it been since we've seen each other?"

"Including letters, ten years. Not counting letters, twelve." She replied into his neck. "I got busy with travelling, and I'm sorry for that." She replied, untangling herself from him so he could put her down.

Chase shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Darlin'. So did I. That's what happens when kids grow up, huh? Besides, we're here now, ain't we?" He took hold of her shoulders and steered her back so she was an arms-length away. "You look… God, amazing."

"Same to you, Handsome! Look at you! When did you get that jawline?"

"When did you get those?" He nodded at her chest, which earned a smack on the arm. Tess rolled her eyes, then pulled him into another hug. "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"I try not to, and it sounds like you haven't either."

"Not much, no." She pulled back again, and it was her turn to get a better look at him. "… You really did end up being a cowboy, huh? Looks like you want everyone to know it. Where's your gun?"

"Cabin," Chase replied with a smile.

Tess beamed, then turned when she heard Jonathan mumbling something. His brother nodded at her, then retrieved his scotch that had been completely forgotten about. He looked Chase over. "Who's this, now? One second, I see you two having a chat, then next thing you know, you're in his arms, squealing."

Tess smiled. "Jon, this is Chase Henderson, you remember me talking about him all the time?"

Jonathan paused in consideration, then opened his mouth. "Ah, yes. She raved about you, my good man."

Chase licked his lips and shrugged. "I have that effect on people. Now, who are you…?"

"Chase, this is my brother, Jon." Tess replied.

Chase reached over and shook Jonathan's hand. "Get outta town. Good to finally meet the rest of the family."

Jonathan nodded. "You as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a gorgeous blonde sitting alone in the corner. I'm going to go try my luck." He got his drink again and hurried off.

The pair watched him, then turned back to each other. "So… he's a flirt, and you seem Hell bent on disliking flirts with a passion…" Chase mused.

Tess shrugged. "He's family. You might hate them sometimes, but at the end of the day, unless they did something really, really horrible, you still love them."

Chase nodded in agreement . "So what happened to you after your last letter. Last I heard, you were back in Britain 'cause your folks were gettin' back together."

"All over. I went back with them, then stayed with my dad when he travelled from there, back to Egypt, back home, back to the States- up north, this time, then settled back in Egypt."

"Damn,"

"Not as bad as it sounds." Tess dismissed. "What about you?"

"Not much. Stayed with my folks a lot- helping out with cattle and such-yes, before you say it, the whole cowboy deal, then I met the couple of guys I'm here with, and… well, call us crazy but we do some treasure hunting every once in a while."

Tess arched an eyebrow. "Treasure hunting? Where are you headed here, then?" She started to take a drink.

"You ever heard of some lost city called Hamunaptra?"

Tess coughed and choked on her drink, rocking forward when Chase hit her on the back. "Hamun- really?" She forced out.

Chase chuckled, and nodded. "I take that as a yes?"

"Something like that, yeah." Tess replied. How had the world gotten so small, so fast?

Chase glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, my turn for introductions. These are two of my crew, here."

Tess turned, seeing the two brunette men Chase had entered with walking over to them. She smiled and waved when they reached them.

The heavier of the two looked her over. "Well, Henderson, ain't ya gonna introduce us to your pretty friend, here? You two clearly know each other, since she nearly knocked you on your ass before."

Chase laughed. "Burns, Daniels, this here's a friend of mine from back in the day, Tess Carnahan. Tessie, meet Bernard Burns and David Daniels."

"Hi," Tess shook Daniels' hand, and smiled when Burns kissed her hand for good measure. "So, I heard you boys are treasure hunters." She mused.

"That we are, Miss. Three of the best you can find." Burns replied.

"I'll take your word for it." Tess nodded.

A moment later, Daniels stretched out his arm. "Well, we're gonna go see if we can get a couple of lucky ladies to dance with us. You in, Henderson?"

Henderson shrugged. "Sure, but I've already got my partner right here." He nodded at Tess.

Tess looked at him. "Oh, no, I couldn't. I'm not quite skilled in that department."

"Neither am I. That don't mean we can't catch up more and laugh at how horrible we both are. Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor, where a few other couples were dancing away, and Burns and Daniels followed behind them.

Chase ended up being right. The pair of them spent more time tripping over each other, laughing, and comparing their mishaps to events that the other had missed over the years during the first few minutes of the dance. After a while, Burns and Daniels returned to the pair, with Daniels sporting a bright pink handprint on his cheek- he didn't look happy at all. They told Chase there were headed to play poker, and they'd expect him with a couple of more players in the next few minutes. The other pair couldn't take anymore embarrassment, no matter how well it ended for them. They stopped and searched for Jonathan, since Tess had figured he would want in on the poker game.

"Alright, that's one down, who's next?" Chase asked. "You hiding anyone else?"

"I might be. You go find your friends. I'll get my guy and meet you guys by the tables."

"You sure?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, go on. I'll be five minutes, if that." She turned to go search for Rick, and when she was out of sight, she beamed. She had found Rick and Chase within a couple of days of each other, the two had been as thrilled to see her as she was to see them, and the latter of those two had grown up to be a very, very decent looking man. Sure, she didn't know if he was spoken for, but she wasn't blind. At least that made it a good start to the adventure they were going on.


	4. Chapter 4

After one unsuccessful look around the ship, Tess returned to the Americans' poker game. She figured Rick would have to pass by sometime. She blinked in surprise when the once-barely occupied table was surrounded by at least ten new onlookers. She headed over to see what the fuss was about. The boys were still merely playing poker and trading harmless insults. She spared a glance down when she noticed someone had taken her hand and was leading her towards the center of the circle where her friends were. She ducked an outstretched arm and quickly sat when one of the Americans- the one who had her hand, kicked the free one between himself and Jonathan out for her. She looked to see who had helped her- Burns. "Thanks. Now, what's all this? You boys starting trouble?"

Burns shrugged. "Mister Daniels might've let it slip that we might be coming into money soon." Burns explained, then offered a smile. "So how come you didn't tell us that you were headed to Hamunaptra, too?"

Tess frowned. "How…?" The answer hit her and she turned her gaze in Jonathan's direction.

Her brother, who had caught the last question of the pair's conversation, smiled innocently and waved.

Tess glanced at Chase, who was talking with one of the women who were to his right. She sighed and looked at Burns. "He's not angry I didn't tell him, is he?"

Burns shook his head. "Eh, he looked a little hurt, then said something like 'she had a reason' and went on with the game."

Tess nodded again, then glanced up at the crowd. She waved when she spotted Rick turn the corner. "Rick O'Connell! Come here!"

Rick looked around, and then when he spotted her, he started to make his way over. A few of the people spotted him and cleared out. He saw the others at the table look at him, curious as to what that was about. The man just shrugged. "I have that effect on people." He pointed at Tess. "You're a woman, and her sister. Can we talk?"

Tess frowned. "Uh, can you join these guys for the rest of the game first, and then we can talk- after you explain what that means, anyway?"

Rick shook his head. "Fine, the talking can wait, but it's an absolute 'no' on the poker."

"Why? We really could use another player." Jonathan mused.

Rick shook his head. "I only gamble with my life, never my money. Tess, you should remember the story…?"

Tess frowned, then realization dawned on her. The last time she had ever seen Rick gamble, it ended with him oweing a man at least two hundred dollars, which led to him getting shot in the shoulder. Rick had managed to cover it up as a battle wound, and therefore she and a surgeon had to take care of him. It took hours to get the bullet out. Tess could've killed him when he admitted to lying to them about how he got it. "Right, shoulda remembered. Sorry."

Daniels laughed. "Alright, secret story aside- what if it was fife hundred bucks on the line? The first ones to get to Hamunaptra gets it."

"You're looking for Hamunaptra?" Rick asked.

"Damn straight we are." Chase nodded.

"And who says we are…?" Rick added.

"He does," The Americans chorused, pointing at Jonathan.

Jonathan put his cards down and looked at them like they had all just thrown him to a hungry pack of wolves. He laughed nervously. "Well…" He looked at Rick, who did not look pleased at all.

"Well, how about it? Is it a bet?" Daniels asked.

Rick smirked. "Alright, you're on."

The Americans' Egyptologist, Chamberlain, looked at Rick. "What makes you so confident, sir?"

"What makes you?" Rick countered.

Tess tried not to laugh. Whenever Rick got too defensive, he would almost always pull the immature response. The man didn't seem like he would ever change. Tess liked that in him.

"We got ourselves a man who's actually been there." Chase replied with a smirk of his own.

Jonathan frowned. "Oh, what a coincidence, Tess and O'Connell-" He coughed and lurched forward when Rick's bag just so happened to hit the back of his neck. "Right, um, is it my play…?"

Rick leaned forward, resting his hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "Gentleman, we have ourselves a wager. Evening, Jonathan." He squeezed the man's shoulder, hard. "Tess, that word?"

"Yeah," Tess nodded, getting up. "Goodnight, boys."

"Night," They all replied, nodding at her as she followed Rick a few feet away.

After a few seconds of walking, Rick finally spoke up. "Alright, so, your sister's still really, really mad at me, and I was wondering-"

"I don't like where this is going…" Tess began.

"Whatever. What, what does she like? What can I do to fix that?"

Tess laughed. "Rick, Sweetheart, you're kinda in a jam with that. Evy barely ever gets mad at people, and when she does… it's not pretty for a while. It's best you steer clear of her for a while."

"And how do you suggest I do that on a boat in the middle of nowhere?" Rick asked.

Tess tossed her hands up. "I don't know, if you see her, walk the other way?" She asked.

Rick glared at her, and then glanced behind her. "And what do I do in this case?"

"In what case?" Tess asked.

Rick took her by the shoulders and spun her in a one-eighty. Tess found what had made it 'this case'- Evy was sitting at a table, reading.

She rolled her eyes and flicked her wrists, indicating for him to turn around and walk. "Go, quick, go!" She turned on her heel and continued to usher him away.

"Tess!"

Tess frowned when she heard Evy call her and turned back around. "Hi!" She flinched when she spotted Rick, who had also frozen on the spot at Evy's voice.

"Mister O'Connell," Evy added with a frown. She looked back down at her book.

Tess approached her. "So, how's the reading coming? You should come take a walk with me instead. You know, I ran into an old friend on the boat here. Small world, they're headed to Hamunaptra too. Come on, let me introduce you!" She reached for Evy's hand, but the woman pulled back.

"I'm fine here, thank you." Evy replied. She glared over at Rick.

Tess bit her lip, then nodded. She looked between her friend and sister. "Right then, I'm just gonna… go back… Jonathan might need company…" She trailed off and turned abruptly.

Rick gawked at her in the same manner Jonathan had gawked at the Americans not five minutes before.

She sent him an apologetic look before quickening her pace over. She settled for stopping about midway between the two groups. She knew the talk between Rick and Evy wasn't going to end well, and if they were going to be working together, she sure as Hell wanted a calm-as-possible situation, so she would have to go after one of them to calm them. She waited a couple of minutes, and sure enough, Rick came storming in her direction. "How'd it go?"

"I hate her." Rick announced, not even stopping to look at her as he continued on his path.

Tess raised her eyebrows. Going after her sister, it was. She headed further down the deck, then down the stairs to where the cabins were. She found Evy and hers', and knocked on the door. "Ev, it's me. Can I come in?"

A moment later, the door was practically thrown open. Evy looked at her, exhaled sharply, turned, and walked to the other side of the room.

Tess followed her in. "What'd he say?"

"I did the talking. He did the reacting. It's not my fault he has no manners, and- and- he is completely infuriating! How did you ever deal with him?" Evy demanded.

"Well, he was kinda… loopy, a lot, with blood-loss and all…" Tess offered. "Look, he means well, he really does. It just… takes a while for him to warm up to people and… decide how to treat certain types."

"Oh, I see that already, yes." Evy replied. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the bed. "Of all the first kisses to get, too-"

Tess' jaw dropped. "Hold on, that was your…?" She beamed and launched herself at her sister. "Evy, you precious little adorable thing!" She hugged her. "The Hell with the meaning behind it. I might only see Rick as a brother, but I have no problem saying he's a good looking guy. You know how many people would've killed to have _any of their firsts_ with Rick? Hell, I would've considered multiple firsts with him, back in the day?"

"What stopped you? I need to breathe, while you're at it."

"Same things you're complaining about now." Tess replied, letting her go. "That's adorable."

"Not to me, it isn't." Evy countered.

Tess rolled her eyes, then beamed. "I need to go tell Jon about that certain detail. I bet he had a feeling it was, but didn't know for sure-"

"Oh, not Jonathan, please?" Evy begged.

"Hey, we've been over this. The older siblings get to bother the youngest, but if anyone else tries to, we murder them." Tess replied. "I'll see you in a few minutes." She replied, hurrying out of the room before Evy could protest further. She headed back to the poker table, only to find it occupied by a new set of people. "… Typical!" She sighed. She continued on to try and find them, then finally seemed to notice that the boat's deck seemed a little too empty, now. "Where is everyone…?" She turned the corner, then yelped and ducked when she saw what looked like the outline of a pipe or something going for her head. "What?" She got back up, only to see a man in a dark robe, holding a sword coming at her. She screamed and ducked another one of the swings.

"TESSIE!"

Tess turned sharply in the direction her name came from. She spotted Chase waving her over as Burns and Daniels fired off their guns towards a couple of more men in black robes. Tess turned back to her attacker, and seeing that he had gotten distracted chasing another passenger, she ran over to her friends and took cover behind the table. "When the Hell did these people get here? The Hell is going on?"

"You expect us to know? One second, we were playin' poker, next, these guys came outta nowhere!" Daniels called over the racket.

Tess leaned back when a stray bullet missed her by inches, and went with it when Chase pulled her further behind the table.

"Chase, where's my brother?" Tess called.

"We got separated by the first guy who got to us. He took off that way." Chase replied, pointing left. "He was fine when he ran."

Tess sighed, then looked around. "JON! EVY!" She rose up a bit, and thought better of smacking Chase when he yanked her back down. _Right, nearly getting shot while looking for your family- bad idea._ She looked up when there was an odd whoosh to their left, and they all saw flames spring out from one of the doors. Moments later, a good portion of the deck was burning.

Chase looked at Tess, then nodded towards the railing. "Tessie, go."

Tess stared at him for a moment. "Over, what- no! I'm not gonna-"

"GO!" Chase repeated, grabbing her arm and pushing her upright.

Tess groaned, but started to climb over the railing to get into the water all the same. When she made it over fully and was about to jump, she spotted Jonathan running in the same direction. "Jon!"

Jonathan skidded to a halt and spotted her. "Are you alright?"

Tess nodded rapidly. "You?"

He nodded as well, then jumped when the door between them burst open, and a robed man who was on fire came running out of the room.

Tess flinched, realizing there was nothing more she could do now other than hope they all got out of the mess okay. She let go of the railing and jumped down into the water. She surfaced and watched, waiting to spot any familiar faces go overboard. When she saw the Americans go over all at the same time, she swam over to them and followed as they headed for the nearest shore. Once they reached it, Tess dropped to her knees a few feet in and spat out the water that had managed to get into her mouth. She glanced up when she felt an arm go around her waist and pull her upright. She relaxed when she realized it was Chase. "Well…"

"You okay?" Chase asked.

Tess nodded. "I'm fine. I'm never gonna go on a boat again, if I can help it, but I'm good." She sighed. "Did you see my brother, Rick, Evy…?"

"Think I saw 'em on the other side." Chase replied. "And those are our horses. C'mere." He lead her over to where Burns and Daniels were scrambling to control four horses at once, and Chase and Tess took the two that were furthest from the other two men, leading them back to shore. When her horse seemed to get startled again, Tess reached up and pet its nose. "It's okay, you're okay." The horse tried to pull away, and she pulled more firmly on the reigns. "Easy…" She managed to get the horse as calm as Luck would allow, and counted that as a victory.

"Hey! Hey, O'Connell!"

Tess froze on the spot at the familiar voice she hadn't heard in years. She was starting to get a little uneasy about the amounts of blasts from the pasts as of late. This was the first one that seemed the least welcome of all, however. "Oh, you have got to be joking…" She muttered. She turned slowly, and sure enough, there was Beni Gabor about fifteen feet away, yelling across the river. "Fantastic…" She followed his gaze and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Jonathan, Evy and Rick on the other size, looking unharmed, for the most part.

"Looks to me like I've got all the horses!" Beni screamed at Rick.

Rick slowly approached the edge of the shore they were on. "Hey Beni! Looks to me like I'm on the wrong side of the Ri-ver!"

Tess frowned. He knew Beni was on the same damn boat? Since when? Her frown deepened when she remembered what Chase had said- they had a man who was actually there. Yeah, then Beni sure as Hell made sense.

"Tess!"

Tess turned back to the shore, seeing Evy gawking at her. "I'm okay, Ev! Really!" She looked at the river. She refused to cross that thing again. She turned her attention back to her sister. "I'll meet up with you guys as soon as I can, I promise!" She called.

While Jonathan accepted that answer, Evy didn't look too convinced, but she nodded after a moment as well.

Tess sighed and turned back around, heading further inland. She started to ring her clothes and hair out.

"Teresa? It is you!"

Tess flinched, not bothering to turn around. "Hi, Beni." She deadpanned. She shook her head when the man scampered off somewhere.

Chase watched him go. "… You two know each other?" He asked after a moment.

"Unfortunately." Tess added.

Chase snorted. "Tell me how you really feel."

Tess scoffed. "Yeah. Put it this way- if I don't punch him in the next… however long it takes before we get back to my people… you owe me a drink."

"Okay, then. Not even gonna ask."

"Good idea."


End file.
